Rita Brown - Cat of the Century

Beat that, Flo thought to herself, reviewing what she thought of Mariahs postgraduate work.

Flo could have warned Gayle of her findings, but the malicious delight in telling Jahnae Barnett first overcame her loyalty to a woman she truly admired. Not that she wanted to distress Jahnae, who had

transformed William Woods and continued to do so, turning a small, lovely, all-womens college into a small coed university powerhouse. Recently, two graduates had signed Major League Baseball contracts. Nick Wooley went to the Kansas City Royals, and Josh Goodin joined the Baltimore Orioles. Flo just gloated over that, as did alumnae who didnt give a jot for baseball.

She twirled a pencil around her fingers, then punched in the numbers.

Kenda, Flo said as she heard the familiar voice, let me talk to the chief. I know why Mariah has vanished.

Shes in her office, but let me check if anyone is in there.

Fine. Flo hummed to herself as she was on hold.

A click, then Kendas voice said, Put you right through.

Hello, Flo. How are you? Jahnae braced herself for what she suspected would be another blast against Mariah DAngelo.

I know why Mariah hotfooted it.

Yes. Not a hint of nervousness.

Ive long wondered how my classmate could offer such spectacular deals through Fletcher, Maitland, and DAngelo. For the last year I have investigated, at my own expense, the watches, diamonds, and pearls she carries. Well, the pearlsMikimotosand the diamonds are genuine. The discounts on diamonds and pearls are much less than those on watchesBaume and Mercier, Piaget, Rolex, and Jaeger-LeCoultre, to name a few. Naturally, I know many people, including many of our alumnae, who have patronized Mariahs store. I hired a jeweler with impeccable credentialsone from Charlottesville, actually, Keller and George, as I knew that store was the one that inspired Big Mouth to go into jewelry. I was able to gather a group of alumnae here in St. Louis and ones in Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati. Youll notice I didnt reach out to anyone in Kansas City. Too close to home. Someone might tip her off.

Jahnae interjected, You told these people that their watches might be fakes to get them to meet with you?

No. Not exactly. I said there was a growing market for reconditioned secondhand watches and asked if they would want an appraisal.

A bit of a cheat, but they were getting the appraisal free. I paid for it. They didnt.

And? Jahnae didnt like what she was hearing, but she was also unhappily amazed that Flo would go to such lengths.

Most were not genuine. A few were. A deeply satisfied silence followed this. But I also paid the appraiser to lie about the value. I wanted to accuse her face-to-face. Petty, I know, but quite thrilling to see her turn puce!

I see.

I have all the documentation.

When did you confront Mariah?

I accused her to her face after our second board meeting. She hotly denied it, of course. Mariah knows, as I said, that the high-end watch brands jealously guard their reputations, not just for stellar work but for authenticity. The companies know there are fakes out there. Theyre right to be vigilant. They would sue her ass into next week, excuse the French, and so would the customers she bilked.

How do you know she was behind it? It could have been her partners.

Well, Fletcher died in 1984, so its only Maitland, who is older than dirt. Sure, he could have been in on it for all this time, but our Mariah is a clever girl. If she wanted to keep the old fogey in the dark, I know she could.

What provoked youwait, let me amend that. What led you to investigate the products?

When I went to buy Dick a watch for his fifty-seventh birthday last year, I called her store and got their prices, which were whispered to me by a clerk who said they were available only to William Woods graduates. I dont believe that, but thats neither here nor there. Then I checked Tourneau in New York, and I called Keller and George. Had a lovely chat with Bill, then Howard, both of the store. They told me what to look for initially.

Which is?

Weight. Most fakes are lighter than the genuine article. I had lunch with one of my friends who crowed about the great deal she got on a

Schaffhausen two years ago, and I asked if I could try on her watch. Shes one of our social leaders, and her signature, if you will, is to wear a mans Schaffhausen and a beautiful silk scarf. I tried it on and it was light. Also, the crystal isnt good on a fake. For instance, the crystal on a Rolex Submariner is thick but quite clear. Crystal isnt cheap, so youll get more distortion in a fake.

And have you informed the alumnae whose watches were appraised?

Bill, the appraiser, told each individual he would write up the resale valuehigh and low, since theres always a fluctuationand mail them the results. He lied, as I told you, giving them a higher value than their true value. Nor did he identify which were fake. He will mail out the appraisals the Friday after our alumnae meeting. Im sure most of them will arrive at their destinations once mail service resumes.

Jahnae was quiet for a moment, then switched gears. And I assume she will be voted off the board at the summer meeting? You will make that motion?

Of course. Flo glowed inside.

As I recall, one of the founding principles of our great nation is innocent until proven guilty. If you offer up your findings to the Kansas City police, thats one course of action. But someone will sue her. She will have her day in court. You only know the products are inauthentic. You dont know that Mariah is behind it. Jahnae felt supremely uneasy. Flos gloating made Mariahs absence all the more sinister.

Jahnae, she had to know. If I can now spot a fake, so can she. Shes made a fortune charging thousands and thousands for reasonably good fakes. Why else would she go on the lam?

I dont know, but I repeat, Jahnaes voice had a cool note, innocent until proven guilty.

Flo, quick to hear the drop in vocal temperature, countered, Youre upset. You have every reason to be upset. A graduate is a crook. That wont reflect well upon the school we both love.

Compared to Harvard and Yale, our criminal output is thankfully low. I dont think the bad apples that have graduated from those two universities or any other have dimmed admissions.

Uh, yes.

Thank you for informing me, Flo. This is deeply disturbing news. Good-bye.

What truly disturbed Jahnae was that Flo relentlessly worked to destroy Mariah over what seemed to Jahnae a petty personality conflict that had started when they were freshmen. Then she remembered that both had been in love with Dick Langston. She sighed deeply. When sex and love entered the mix, brains flew right out the window.

She wasnt a drinking woman, but at that moment the slightly numbing effects of a cocktail held an allure. She quickly dismissed the thought and called Inez instead.

Inez was appalled and furious, because shed spoken to Flo just before Flos call to Jahnae. Not a word.

Inez then said, I guess she wanted to start at the top.

The problem is, Inez, Jahnae drew a deep breath, who else is going to hear her crow?

Liz Filmore, for one, and she hung up her phone, shaken.

T

he weather remained cold but clear on Wednesday, April 1. Even the sky was icy blue.

Come on, Tomahawk, pick up your foot. Harry bent over and picked up the old Thoroughbreds hind hoof.

Inez, visiting Harry, chuckled at Tomahawks intransigence then leaned over to look at the hoof. Good.

Hes a tough boy. He can even be cooperative.

Are you finished with my hoof?

Tomahawk was not feeling cooperative.